Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1887-06-14
lCcpyurAi. is,i. By Ai-soi 4 Fortss
THE GOOD OLD TIMES OF A
CENTURY AGO.
Br JrDor c. =. WHITMAN.
Chapter xLL
rRIr To uE MOUNTAINS AND ritE
rESSIssEEwAssEE

We will nov return TO our friends in
the Maine forest
Our party. with A. Bsncs. oa the
day appointed. started for the mountains.
The weather va. hne aud the hun,er
were in e1esllen, spirits. In crossing q
valley they saw bear. sitting on = los
over stream Of water. with Aplw ,hrns,
down into pool.
ale /. catching fish" said Bsarce a.
he took aim and fired l, WAS good
shot. for bruin tipped OF into the water.
dead. lie va. taken out and the process.
Of .kinning began. Parts OF fish lay
near. and !, was spparen, ,hl, the bear
was having AfcaI when frs, seen by the
hunters.
"The habit. Of the bear ate somewha,
peculiar" remarked Bearce. "when h'h.
hgngry. be select. place like this. over
q pool in which there is plenty OF fish.
III. fishing !. generally done in the spring
Of the year. aud when suckers run.
Their movements are slower. aud eon'e.
qaen,ly easier TO catch. lie equie,ly puts
down hi. paw and grabs, whenever one
come. within reach. Nothing i' lei, Of
the fish. II the bear !, very hansry. ba,
IL he isn't. be will ca, the heads And
throw the rest away. IL appears by the
pile left. ,hA, ,hi. one was rather dainty.
AFTER he wakes up from his long win
,er's sleep. he live, on lish, diet. com.
posed principally Of the bark Of trees.
Then be zoe. ia little .,ronger. when
the snow i. of and be i. able 10 dig for
nut. lie moves from the hills down in.
TO the valleys and swAmP', where roots
can be found and frog. obtained. OF fish
caught The bear Is very fond OF 'o!d
man. root and ground nuts. In sum.
mer he lives on ants. worms aud ,eadsr
plants. bu, in berry time be b. con.
tinusl feast. lie is a good butcher. aud
no one can do nea,er job than be.
"Ye.. wha, you have said of,he bear
Is al true enough" said Graham. "Civ.
ilira,ion has brought more dain,y meals.
Mutton is his favori,e dish for meats. and
be won, turn up bis nose much At a
good "a, calf or pig. when he !, real han-
cry, and with green corn and swee, ap.
Piles. be !. no, likely to grow very lean.
Honey be likes bes, OF all things. aud he
will 40 through fire to ge, H."
"wAl. l know jest enuh 'bou, bears ,u
keep eoa, Of ,hare way" remarked Jere-
mish.
"Ths, /, right. s~ipss. There !, moth.
in, like knowing the habits OF animals,
before one has much TO do With them.
bu, experience will teach man. ifhe will
learn in no other way," said Samuel
with a merry twinkle in hi, eye a, the
recollection OF the panther affair.
by thi, time the bear had been skin
ned, and they proceeded on their way up
the mountain. Arriving on the summit
they "a, down 70 rest.
A msgniheen, view was before them.
I, was one vas, fofes. n far as the eye
could reach. A large lake lay to the
southwark, and its silver surface sparkled
in the sunlight. Toward the northeast
was another mountain. covered with trees,
bu, the one they were on had none upon
i,s summit, and WAS the higher OF the
two.
"Do you see ths, bill I bu, two OF three
miles away asked Bsarce, pointing to-
ward the west. There are Jaekson's
and willis's clearings. Those mountains
away in the west. whose tops ere 90 white
with snow, are the White Hills OF New
Hampshire. They present = mos, beau
,ifal appearance at this time OF the
year."
"No,hing could be more beautiful. ex.
claimed Morris. "Never 10 my life
have seen quite i,s equal. sxcsp, among
the mountain ridges Of my native Viz
ginis."
"we appreciate !, ell the more from
the fact tha, we have been continually In
the forest, seeing nothing bat the mag
nifieent monarchs Of the woods. bu, II u
true we do not get view like this every
WHERE" said Samuel.
"Yis. ',is pooty ez a pic,ur." inter-
jec,ed Swipes.
Lees Grant, mus. be somewhere neat
,hs, lake in the southwest. JUS. little
Of whose waters We can see" said Morris.
"Ths country there Is still unsettled
but farther away Mcwaine has had .
clearing for . number Of year," replied
irar.. nm: